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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chip — for betting
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — a box
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — to eat
  18. season — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com